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What did I like best about Jamboree?

Could it have been the minute I checked in and spotted my good friend Lisa Alzo talking to Megan Smolenyak [whom I just love & who was on my must-meet list]?

Could it have been seeing, talking in person with, breaking bread with, laughing with, tweeting next to each other during a session with my many blogger friends who I "talk" to almost every day?

Could it have been having the privilege of listening to and learning from genealogy and family history rock stars like Megan Smolenyak [Yes. She pops up a lot in this post. I promise I'm not stalking her. Much. Just kidding. No, really I am. Kidding, that is.], Curt Witcher, and D. Joshua Taylor?

Could it have been having the privilege to see up-and-coming genealogy and family history rock stars like Elyse Doerflinger and Denise Levenick?

Could it have been having the privilege of listening to Lisa Alzo show how she shares her family history with her family? [And she even managed to make me tear up AND inspired me so much that I wrote half a blog post while listening to her. That is, until I teared up. And my iPhone battery died.]

Could it have been when I had the privilege of sharing my experiences with blogging [alongside my colleagues] with eager folks? You know the kind. The ones who have that sparkle in their eyes and that smile on their face when they realize they actually have a convenient way to share their family stories, their photos, and their research.

Could it have been when I was giving a tech lesson to my good friend Kim Von-Aspern Parker after the Gala Friday night. [Yes, I kept my tiara on. Cuz, why not?]

Could it have been when I was sitting next to Tonia Kendrick after Jamboree & we were quietly just sitting there reading, tweeting, and relaxing?

Could it have been when Susan Kitchens brought some wine and cheese and we were all just laughing, talking, and being silly about "stuff" after Jamboree?

Could it have been when Susan Kitchens shared her aunt's very precious scrapbook and I marveled over the coloring by hand her aunt did of so many of her pics?

Could it have been all the new people I met and the friends I made?

I don't know which experience was my favorite at Jamboree. The wifi and cell service was spotty and expensive in the rooms. My blogging plans were thwarted. My Storify plans had to be scrapped. I managed to tweet however. [Cuz where there is a will, there's a way.] There wasn't a convenient place to "set-up shop" where the wifi worked. [And, no, we don't all have iPads. And, no, I'm not buying one just for conferences.]

So I guess I'll have to say I can't pick. It was THAT fabulous. That awe-inspiring. [Can't tell you how many notes I entered into my iPhone for blog posts ideas and freebies for y'all. That's right freebies.]

Quite simply, it rocked.

~Caroline


 
 
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Photo used under Creative Commons from euthman via Flikr
Do you know where you'll be Jun 8th thru Jun 10th? I know where I'll be. In SoCal catching up with my genealogy blogger buddies and attending presentations at the Southern California Genealogical Society's 2012 Jamboree in Burbank, California. From Blogger Summits to genealogy to great food to good times, there really isn't any other place I'd rather be.

And? This year's theme is Lights, Camera, Ancestors! When Paula Hinkel told me at FGS last year what their theme was, my first thought was, "Brilliant!" And my second thought was, "I could wear my tiara to the Hollywood Gala on Friday night!"

Indeed. Brilliant.

While early bird registration is over, you can still register online through May 28th 2012. For up-to-the-minute news read & follow the SCGS Jamboree blog. It has links for registration and just about everything else for Jamboree.

Also? Jamboree was the first genealogy conference to debut their own smartphone app last year, and they're doing it again this year. As soon as it's ready, I'll let you know.

So. SoCal, Hollywood, tiaras, genealogy, apps, tiaras, good times, Blogger Summit, tiaras!!!

You in?

Cuz I'm going back to Cali.

SCGS Jamboree Website
SCGS Jamboree Blog
SCGS Jamboree on Twitter @SCGSgenealogy
SCGS Jamboree Event on Facebook
SCGS Jamboree Official Twitter Hashtag: #SCGS12

~Caroline